For the most part, nursing homes take good care of their patients. You normally won’t have to worry about things like nursing home neglect and abuse. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. One of the hardest decisions you may ever make is to put your parent in a nursing home. We all swear that we’re going to take care of our parents forever but it just isn’t possible. Most of us are not qualified to do this. Our mom or dad may need more care than we can offer. This is why there are so many nursing homes and assisted living facilities in South Carolina.
Once you do decide it’s time to move your loved one into a nursing home, you have to choose one. You look for one that has a good reputation. You want to make sure your parent is treated with dignity and respect. Also, you want to make sure the nurses at home care about their patients.
You’ll probably take a tour of the facility before you make a decision on which nursing home to choose. When you take your tour, they will show you the things they want you to see. You’ll see the dining room and activities center. You may even get to talk to a few residents. What they’re not going to show you on a tour is patients suffering from neglect.
If you suspect that your loved one is the victim of nursing home neglect, you need to call a nursing home abuse lawyer in Columbia right away. You don’t want to wait any longer than necessary. Every day your loved one is neglected is one day too many!
What is Neglect?
Most nursing home employees take really good care of their patients. They love what they do for a living and like taking care of people. Others are not as conscientious. They ignore their patients. They don’t take the steps to make sure your loved one is taken care of.
Some of the common types of nursing home neglect include:
- Not being turned regularly, resulting in bed sores
- Not receiving their medication as prescribed
- Falls and other accidents
- Not fed properly or often enough
- Not bathed
- Poor hygiene
- Emotional neglect
- Spiritual neglect
- Not seen by a doctor regularly
Most nursing home abuse cases won’t involve all of these types of neglect. However, even one of these types of neglect is one too many. Nobody should be treated like this. Your loved one should be treated with dignity and respect, especially at their age.
It’s hard to imagine a nurse or aide treating a patient like this. But, sadly, it happens all the time. Your Columbia nursing home abuse lawyer knows how to spot this type of behavior. They’ll work hard to get your loved one the justice they deserve.
Why Does Nursing Home Neglect Happen?
It would be easy to say that nursing home neglect happens because people just don’t do their jobs. But it’s not this simple. There are all sorts of reasons nurses and aides neglect their patients.
Some of these reasons include:
- Employees are improperly trained – Nursing homes are required to offer and require ongoing education of all of their staff. Some nursing homes don’t conduct this training as they should.
- The nurses or staff don’t have the necessary education or experience – The nursing home may hire people that lie about their experience or simply don’t have the experience necessary to care for their patients.
- Overworked and overtired – There is a shortage of nurses right now in our country. The nursing home may simply not have enough people to handle the volume of residents.
- Lack of compassion – Some nurses just don’t care. It’s sad, but it’s the truth.
- Lack of resources – The facility may not have enough resources to properly care for their residents.
Of course, none of these are good reasons for nursing home abuse or neglect. There is no good reason for a person to be treated this way. However, it does show us why people treat our loved ones the way they do.
When this happens, the nursing home needs to be held accountable. Your South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyer will make sure your loved one received compensation for their injuries.
Contact a Columbia Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
If your mom or dad is the victim of nursing home neglect or abuse, you need help. You need to call a Columbia nursing home abuse lawyer and schedule your initial consultation.
The initial consultation is absolutely free and you pay nothing until you settle your parent’s case. The nursing home will have a team of lawyers working for them and so should you.
View these other frequently asked questions pages:
What Should You Look for When Researching a Nursing Home in South Carolina?
Evidence You Need When Filing a Wrongful Death Claim
Factors That Can Lead to the Dismissal of Your Premises Liability Claim